Summertime & Tea – Published in The Link (Jul 09)

So, it is summertime and perhaps there is a special herb tea you have decided to use regularly, but it is getting so incredibly hot! How about iced tea? Mostly, iced tea is made from black tea and has caffeine, but any herb tea that can be drunk hot, can be made into iced tea. This way, you can continue to gain the medicinal benefits that your herb tea has to offer, without heating your body up more.
If you are using a dried herb tea, just make it a little stronger than usual. Once it is fully steeped, strain it into a container that can sit in the fridge. Spruce it up a little with some maple syrup or honey and fresh lemon or lime juice. You can even get creative by adding fresh or frozen berries or thinly sliced fruit. Add the ice at serving time. Garden parties just won’t be the same without your gourmet, home made iced tea.
Speaking of gardens, these can be a great place of inspiration. Making a tea of freshly picked lemon balm or mint can be simply divine. Let the garden lead you, each tea becoming a work of art (choosing only edible, non-toxic plants, please.) You could be pleasantly surprised by adding a little basil or edible flowers into the mix.
Most commercially available iced teas are full of sugar and have little to offer nutritionally. We can continue using our medicine through the summer by cooling it down. Consuming fresh picked plants offers us a vast array of benefits which cannot be packaged. It can also fit nicely as a relaxing activity for a summer’s day. So, grab a glass of your own iced tea, and a good book, and seek out that favourite spot to kick back and enjoy!